Public Anger At Tone Deaf Mayor and Impotent Emergency Management is Questioned By The New York Times. Does Public Outrage Do Any Good, asked reporter Michael Wilson ?
''But is there a point when the outrage itself becomes outrageous? After all, it was an awful lot of snow. Or is outrage something every New Yorker needs to experience to pull through? Can we all learn to stop complaining and love the plows?''
Meanwhile, let's run a reality check : the outrage was based on the public's fear of abandonment by the Bloomberg administration following the natural disaster. '' By comparison, " Death of newborn baby among several blizzard tragedies as city is accused of 'dropping the ball' '' was the headline in The New York Daily News. New Yorkers had reason to fear that the government response to the post-Christmas Blizzard would resemble the government response to Hurricane Katrina, namely, no response.
Seems like The Times just might be as tone deaf as Mayor Bloomberg.
Queens Crap Blog Changes Nameplate to Snowpocalypse Theme
The Queens Crap Blog has changed its iconic nameplate to reflect the Snowpocalypse of 2010. Click on the picture below to be directed to the Queens Crap blog.
It was after 9 p.m. last night, when I ventured out to the grocery store. On my way, I found a sanitation truck stuck in the snow. All of these snow removal trucks wouldn't be getting stuck in the snow if they had started plowing the streets earlier than this. Once I got to the grocery store, in terms of bread, I had my choice of cinnamon raisin bread or hot dog buns. I failed to buy bread before Sunday night, but, by comparison, New York City failed to have an adequate snow removal plan. The sad thing is that we all knew on Saturday that this snow storm was coming. I chose cinnamon raisin, but what did Mayor Michael Bloomberg choose ?
Says Suzannah B. Troy : Lucky for Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Joel Bondy didn't testify under oath ; Christine Quinn Can't Be Next NYC Mayor.
The political commentator and artist Suzannah B. Troy has created a new YouTube video, in which she makes the observation that the CityTime payroll system was ''really about bilking tax payers money at an epic level ....''
Ms. Troy is looking for Mayor Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn for accountability. Watch her video :
New York City’s response to the monster snow storm has been hampered by Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s decision to reduce the Sanitation Department’s workforce as part of citywide budget cuts, the head of the sanitation workers’ union said Monday.
Harry Nespoli, president of the Uniformed Sanitationmen’s Association, said the department is currently down roughly 400 workers.
“We are undermanned — we need another 400,” Nespoli said in a telephone interview with The Wall Street Journal. “I mean this is a perfect example of why you need the man power in New York City. We’re shorthanded here.” ...
Joel Bondy, the executive director of the Office of Payroll Administration, was suspended after investigators alleged that city contractors used fraud to rob the city of at least $80 million under the CityTime automated payroll system that, contrary to Speaker Quinn's denial, has been under intense scrutiny for several years as a result of the system's runaway, costly over-runs.
Mayor Bloomberg has a track record of spending money for his political campaigns out of his private accounts, in addition to his official campaign committee accounts.
Thanks to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the Republican Party is expected to once again take control over the New York State Senate.
The New York Daily News reported that Republicans regained control by a very slim margin of votes (one race was won by less than 500 votes). In this kind of competition, money undoubtedly could have played a big factor. And when it comes to parlaying money into power, no one person can use his money to buy influence the way that can Mayor Bloomberg.
Mr. Lisberg added that the Republican Party account, which received Mayor Bloomberg's donations, ''doesn't have to report its finances for another month,'' but unnamed sources confirmed to The Daily News that Mayor Bloomberg funneled his donations in two sizeable payments -- ''an initial donation of $650,000, then $250,000 more to help push the GOP over the edge.''
These donations, made in the 2010 election cycle, follow a pattern of secret payments made by Mayor Bloomberg in past election cycles. Much like President Richard Nixon, whose political campaigns had carried out a long set of activities to attack and disrupt the Democrats way before the Watergate Hotel break-in, Mayor Bloomberg's political campaigns of 2005 and 2009 engaging in funneling secret payments out of the mayor's personal accounts to political parties for use in campaign activitis.
"You should see what's in my closet," the mayor said, according to The New York Daily News.
Besides bringing toys and making jokes, the mayor told a glaring lie to the crowd, which The Daily News estimated to be over 2,500 people, mostly gay men. Here is what was reported :
''It wasn't all fun and games for the billionaire : He did take a moment to restate that he hopes to one day live in a city where marriage equality exists for everyone, causing the biggest uproar of clapping and yelling from the male-mob, among shouts of 'Bloomberg for President.' ''
New Yorkers Are Still Waiting For Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg To Tackle Unemployment, Spur Job Creation, and Bring About Long-Term Economic Growth To New York City
One month after the November mid-terms, the NYC Board of Elections reported 200,000 more votes that had not been previously counted on Election Day.
Every time something important happens in this city, there is Mayor Michael Bloomberg, showing up to demonstrate domination and authority. At every major fire house closing, schools chief waiver application, or term limits extension. Yet, here, after these 200,000 uncounted ballots are found in New York City, he is nowhere in sight.
People with AIDS under attack. What do we do ? Act up, fight back !
Nine protesters were arrested during the morning of December 1 for blocking traffic outside Mayor Michael Bloomberg's World AIDS Day Bagel Breakfast at the Brooklyn Public Library, reported The New York Times.
The Quinnipiac University Poll released Tuesday shows New Yorkers believe by a 2-1 margin that Black is not qualified for the job. The poll found that 51 percent of New York City voters believe Black does not have the right experience to serve as schools chancellor. Just 26 percent said Black does have the experience for the job, and 23 percent were undecided.
Asked specifically about Black's appointment, 47 percent said they disapproved and 29 percent approved. Twenty-five percent were undecided.
"If it was a public vote, thumbs down," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
Mayoral Control Queen : Cathie Black Press Conference
Watch the YouTube video of the press conference held in front of Tweed Couthouse. Various speakers voiced their united opposition to the nomination by Mayor Michael Bloomberg of Cathleen Black to become the next New York City Schools Chancellor.
Mona Davids of the NY Charter Parents Association on Cathie Black
Mona Davids of the New York Charter Parents Association offers her thoughts on the selection of publishing executive Cathleen Black as New York City Schools Chancellor, in "Your 2 Cents," a series of on-camera, unedited editorials delivered by prominent New Yorkers.
In October 2007, back when she was still Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin met with Mayor Michael Bloomberg. On July 8, 2009, The New York Daily News asked for copies of photos of their meeting, but the newspaper did not receive them until after Bloomberg was elected for the third time.
Mayor Mike Bloomberg's Schools Chancellor Nominee Cathleen Black Urges Sex App ; She Says Sex App Can Help You Save Money on Hookers !!
On a radio show, Cathleen P. Black, the chairwoman of Hearst Magazines and the nominee to become the incoming chancellor of New York schools, said a Cosmopolitan magazine iPhone App was "cheaper than a hooker," according to The New York Times and the True News From Change blog.
Meanwhile, on her blog, Suzannah B. Troy wrote that she wants to know if there is a NYC Government corruption app.
There is no legitimacy to the work done by the Charter Revision Barter Commission appointed by Mayor Bloomberg.
The ballot questions regarding term limits are tainted by fraud in the inception. Please vote NO to every question. Do not validate the charter revision questions. Rebuke Mayor Michael Bloomberg, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, and Ronald Lauder for their insider deals.
Meg Whitman's business experience makes her just as equally unqualified to be governor of California as Mayor Michael Bloomberg's business experience makes him unqualified to be mayor of New York City.
On Friday, Mayor Bloomberg appeared at a campaign event with Ms. Whitman, where he said that Ms. Whitman's personal campaign spending -- $141.5 million -- allows her to enter office with no strings attached, reported the PolitiCal blog of The Los Angeles Times. "She's my kind of candidate," he said.
Good luck, California.
We've heard this same rationale expressed by Mayor Bloomberg about himself, but it was like a Three Cup Shuffle Scam : there's a slight of hand that we don't see coming.
Mayor Bloomberg's observations about Ms. Whitman were made a few days after The Gothamist website published a news report that the Bloomberg administration had run out of ideas on how to save taxpayer money, so it had begun a cyber suggestion box, where taxpayers could submit ideas on how New York City can save money. (Remember, this was the same Mayor Bloomberg, who in 2009 insinuated that his rationale for extending term limits was because he could rescue New York City's economy from the economic crisis.)
Let's see what he said about Ms. Whitman in their joint campaign appearance in California :
Just like his new cyber suggestion box suggests, just because you can spend over $100 million in a self-financed campaign for public office, it doesn't mean that a wealthy candidate actually has any good ideas about how to save the local government's budget. Spending money doesn't mean you know how to save money.
But there is more of the Mayor's math that doesn't add up. We'll explore that soon.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Speaker Christine Quinn were missing as New Yorkers gathered in the West Village to demand a hospital to replace the former St. Vincent's.
''Demonstrators at the ::100 Days Without A Hospital Community Rally:: say closing Saint Vincent's has put public safety at risk because it leaves thousands of people without quick access to emergency care,'' reported NY1.
''St. Vincent’s plight has been portrayed by public officials and the media as a story of local misfortune—a community losing a vital piece of its infrastructure and a centerpiece of its identity to a combination of mismanagement, the recession, and bad luck. The truth, though, is considerably more alarming,'' reported New York magazine.
A powerful citizen's complaint against Michael Bloomberg.
Clayton Patterson describes how Mayor Michael Bloomberg is destroying New York for working-class and poor people. Mr. Patterson discusses quality of life issues, such as rent hikes, over-development, mass evictions, landlord abuses, freedom of artistic expression, parking tickets, NYU expansion, and criticisms of mainstream media.
He acknowledges the importance of bloggers, such as Suzannah B. Troy, who resist, or call for a change in, the policies of the Bloomberg administration. The net effect is a powerful citizen's complaint against Mayor Bloomberg.
From one political boss to another, Mayor Bloomberg to Assemblyman Vito Lopez :
''Who's your money honey ?''
In the midst of several investigations into fraud, mismanagement, and possible corruption at the Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has said that taxpayer money from New York City will continue to be paid to the questionable organisation, The Brooklyn Paper has reported.
New York City will pay taxpayer money in the amount of $135 million to Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council for home attendant services that the organisation reportedly provides in Brooklyn and Queens, wrote Aaron Short, a reporter for The Brooklyn Paper. The outlandish amount of money comes under two contracts with New York City, and the performance of such contracts have to be called into question if there is illegality involved by Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council. Here are some additional facts from Mr. Short's article :
'' Last month, the city delayed pending contracts to Ridgewood Bushwick in light of a city investigation that found fraudulent billing for nonexistent programs and clueless board members who approved huge raises for the nonprofit’s top executives.
'' The state then announced that it would halt all new and existing contracts to Ridgewood Bushwick amid two federal investigations, as the attorney general’s office conducts a thorough review of its most recently submitted audit.
'' The nonprofit has also drawn scrutiny for its workers’ role in allegedly encouraging voters to [pull] the lever or fill in their ballot bubbles for the charity’s founder, Assemblyman Vito Lopez, who is also the Brooklyn Democratic Party chairman. ''
Meanwhile, community reaction has been one of outrage, disbelief, and anger.
Mr. Short reported that Elaine Boardman, who is associated with the Jewish Association for Services of the Aged, said that she was ''outraged'' that, during the financial scandal investiations, New York City would continue to pay money to Ridgewood Bushwick.
Oct. 17 rally for a new hospital in Lower West Side - St. Vincent's Hospital - Call to Action
Please join us for a rally on Sunday, October 17, at 2 p.m. We are meeting outside of the main building of the former St. Vincent's Hospital at the corner of 7th Avenue and West 12th Street.
We want to express to our politicians that the community is united in believing that we need a hospital in the Lower West Side of Manhattan.
St. Vincent's Hospital closed on April 30 under shady conditions, with no notice to the public. In an emergency, every minute counts. Meanwhile, here we are now way past 100 days that the Lower West Side has been without a hospital.
This rally is fully-accessible for the disabled. For the hearing impaired, a transcript of the video follows :
I want to encourage folks to come to the rally on October 17th. We really need a hospital in this neighborhood. Having an Emergency Room close by is very important.
The closing of St. Vincent's was really a disaster for this neighborhood.
Hello, please, you must come to our rally on October 17th in front of St. Vincent's at 2 p.m. We are hoping we'll get 1,000 people -- at least. Your life could count and depend upon having a hospital in our community.
Unless we have over 1,000 people come out on October 17th at 2 p.m., the powers that be and politicians will think that we are accepting this. And that is wrong, because everybody that I talk to knows that it's wrong, and they are very upset over the closing of St. Vincent's Hospital.
We've heard of 45 minute waits for ambulances, to start with, and then trying to get cross-town on 14th Street ?
When you are having an emergency, every minute counts.
Is that enough to convince you that your life depends upon attending this rally. Thank you. I look forward to seeing you there.
''Mike Bloomberg Still Thinks Bloggers Are Lawless Partisans''
The Village Voice today published a post on its Runnin' Scared blog about comments that Mayor Michael Bloomberg made in an interview with The New York Times :
By Jen Doll, Mon., Sep. 20 2010 @ 10:38AM
Today the New York Times City Room (blog) runs excerpts from an interview with Mayor Bloomberg in which he's asked a range of questions about whether he'd run for president (no, but maybe), how much he likes shaking hands (a lot), how much he likes being "popular" (well, who doesn't?), and, oh yeah, how does he feel about bloggers?
His answer:
The bloggers -- you know, the New York Times, for better or worse, has some standards as to who they hire and how much experience you have to have. And then they have an editor who looks at the story and sees whether it's fair and accurate and that sort of thing. And they have lawyers that make sure they don't violate the law. Bloggers don't have any of that. And that also leads to some of the partisanship.
And thus, a nation of bloggers dismissed in one fell swoop. Except, presumably, for those at the New York Times City Room (blog). Bloomberg, how 'bout you just call us all writers and we'll call it a draw? Seriously, some of us even get dressed in the morning these days!
In motion papers filed yesterday, lawyers for indicted campaign worker John F. Haggerty, Jr., asserted that Mayor Michael Bloomberg's 2009 reëlection campaign had structured ''donation'' payments from the mayor's private bank accounts to the Independence Party, with the participation of Deputy Mayor Kevin Sheekey.
"Bloomberg's money went into the party's 'housekeeping account,' which is supposed to support only general party activities," reported Adam Lisberg from The Daily News.
''Indicted campaign aide John Haggerty points finger at Mayor Bloomberg's former deputy mayor,'' reports The New York Daily News.
In motion papers filed yesterday, lawyers for indicted campaign worker John F. Haggerty, Jr., asserted that Mayor Michael Bloomberg's 2009 reëlection campaign had structured ''donation'' payments from the mayor's private bank accounts to the Independence Party, with the participation of Deputy Mayor Kevin Sheekey.
"Bloomberg's money went into the party's 'housekeeping account,' which is supposed to support only general party activities," reported Adam Lisberg from The Daily News.
"...Deputy Mayor Kevin Sheekey convinced Bloomberg to hire the state Independence Party to do the monitoring - instead of using his own campaign team," The Daily News reported.
But how could it come to be that Deputy Mayor Sheeky was planning the mayor's reëlection campaign strategy in respect of monitoring activities ? Whatismore, was it Sheekey who proposed the use of private monies to pay for the campaign activities, or was it Mayor Bloomberg, who told Sheekey to use the mayor's personal accounts -- instead of the mayor's campaign committee accounts -- to funnel money through the Independence Party, in order to pay for Haggerty's election day operations ?
The journalist Aram Roston has reported that in Mayor Michael Bloomberg's campaigns in each of 2005 and 2009, the mayor paid money out of his private accounts that were ultimately funneled to the political operative John Haggerty.
Much like President Richard Nixon, whose political campaigns had carried out a long set of activities to attack and disrupt the Democrats way before the Watergate Hotel break-in, here we have Mayor Bloomberg's political campaigns of 2005 and 2009 engaging in funneling secret payments out of the mayor's personal accounts to political parties for use in campaign activitis.
The mayor has a track record of spending money for his political campaigns out of his private accounts, in addition to his official campaign committee accounts. Therefore, the amounts that the mayor has reported and certified as being his campaign finances cannot be neither true, accurate, nor complete.
Firefighter criticises Mayor Bloomberg's draconian budget cuts to FDNY and controversial Unified Call Taker-911 dispatch and emergency call system.
On the Queens Crap blog, an anonymous FDNY firefighter has submitted a comment that draws attention to the complete failure of New York City's UCT-911 emergency call system. "Over 10 preventable fire fatalities so far because of UCT911[.] DONT LET THIS CONTINUE!!" wrote the firefighter, who submitted the anonymous comment. As far away as the Daily Mail in the United Kingdom, it was reported that, as a result of yesterday's tornado-like microburst storm, "The city's 911 switchboards were inundated with calls of injuries, a Fire Department spokesman said."
"The $2-billion project is meant to shave seconds off emergency response times, and it includes the Unified Call Taker system, which Fire Department unions have condemned, saying that it resulted in units being sent to wrong addresses."
Meanwhile, according to the following YouTube video : "Leaders of three FDNY uniformed unions joined together to speak out and detail how the Bloomberg Administration's new 911 Unified Call Taking (UCT) dispatch system is 'fatally flawed.' "
The NYPD have to end their systematic, organised, and targeted discrimination against the GLBT community. And the mayor has to do something about it, he can, you know? So, let's see him put his money where his MOUTH is.
Mayor Bloomberg is trying to thwart the corruption investigation of John Haggerty, Jr.
In the criminal corruption investigation of the possible misuse of $750,000 by campaign worker John Haggerty, Jr., the office of Mayor Michael Bloomberg refuses to release additional e-mails on the grounds of "personal privacy," so reported The New York Post.
''The skimpy exchanges that were provided with Haggerty indicate he was close as could be to top mayoral aides,'' reported David Seifman, the reporter from The New York Post. Mr. Haggerty is charged with stealing $750,000 from payments that were made from Mayor Bloomberg's personal bank accounts, money that was meant for the Independence Party's Election Day poll-watching operations.
Bloomberg Charter Revision Commission : Henry Stern, Interviewed by Suzannah B. Troy, says that Two Term Limits should Take Effect Immediately. He Calls the Extension of Limits to Three Terms by the Charter Commission to amount to ''Golden Parachutes.''
Henry J. Stern, the parks dept. commissioner under each of Mayors Koch and Giuliani, was interviewed by Suzannah B. Troy about the controversial decision by the Charter Revision Commission to delay the return of limiting politicians to two elected terms.
On the blog for New York Civic, Mr. Stern has published commentary that has been critical of the Charter Revision Commission. He has focused on the logically-flawed argument that freshmen City Councilmembers first elected last year deserve to make full use of the brief existence of thr33-t3rm limits.
"The rationale behind this gift of time is that, since in 2009 the three-term limit was in effect, the candidates ran with the expectation that they would be entitled to seek three terms and the city is in good faith bound to honor their belief. Those members first elected in 2005 would require the gift of a third term to have them serve into 2017. However, the public will presumably by 2010 have voted three times (1993 and 1996 were the first two) for a two-term limit."
Mr. Stern completed his blog post with these cautionary words : ''The City of New York should not provide golden parachutes. Not in dollars, not in years. Let the new elected officials take their places, and may they serve the public, not themselves.''
What I want to know is the history on Terms Limits in the first place. In respect of Question 1, the Charter Revision Barter Commission seems to want to let current f1rst t3rm politicians to be eligible to run for office for a total of 3 consecutive times. Thus, if Question 1 is fully approved, it won’t fully go into effect into 2021. What I want to know is how were f1rst t3rm politicians treated when voters first approved two-t3rm limits ? Were they allowed to run for sequential terms in infinity ? No, once the law changes, everybody must change along with it. Why do we have to create exempted classes of politicians, to whom the laws don’t apply ? Are some politicians more above the law than others ? Is that the real message that the Charter Revision Barter Commission wants to send to voters ? Like Suzannah B. Troy is asking, is anybody listening ?
Mayor Michael Bloomberg supports Freedom of Religion, but he invalidates voter referenda and term limits.
New Yorkers turned out for two simultaneous demonstrations near the former site of the World Trade Center on Sunday, August 22, 2010, to either support or oppose the building of Park51, which has been described as the ''Ground Zero Mosque.'' Listen to Debra Burlingame criticise Mayor Bloomberg for supporting freedom of religion ; she also uses grief and anger to lash out at all Muslims.
On the side against the Mosque, speakers tried to link grief over the September 11 attacks with anger towards Muslims and opposition against the Mosque. At the same time, over at the demonstration in support of building the Mosque, at least one speaker raised the issue of Zionism as all the more reason to support the Mosque.
Meanwhile, there are opportunist politicians, like Rick Lazio, who are fanning the flames of hatred and 9/11 grief, in order to win sympathy from voters, who still grieve over the attacks of 9/11.
This was perhaps the most difficult YouTube video I've ever made. Is it possible for people of different religions to be inclusive and welcoming to one another ? We are finding out, in the debate over the Ground Zero Mosque.
NBC works behind the scenes to ban a candidate's YouTube video which asks the Media to cover the political challengers during this year's election season.
How can a news network commit censorship against a candidate during an election year ? NBC is being biased in favor of the incumbent as long as it is blocking political coverage of challengers. But it doesn't just stop there. Here we see NBC interfering with the freedom of speech of a political candidate. What if political candidates censored NBC ? How would NBC like that ? It is upon a slippery slope that NBC or its employee has put us all by contacting YouTube to ban this video.
The New York Observer finds a pattern to Mayor Michael Bloomberg's secret campaign payments.
The journalist Aram Roston has reported that in Mayor Michael Bloomberg's campaigns in each of 2005 and 2009, the mayor paid money out of his private accounts that were ultimately funneled to the political operative John Haggerty.
If we are to accept that the mayor has a track record of spending money for his political campaigns out of his private accounts, in addition to his official campaign committee accounts, then the amounts that the mayor has reported and certified as being his campaign finances cannot be either true, accurate, or complete.
We can only guess that the reason the mayor has used his private accounts to pay intermediaries for campaign-related services like ''ballot security'' was to evade the reporting and disclosure requirements of the campaign accounts. Meanwhile, for his part in the money funneling operation, Mr. Haggerty is facing criminal charges for how he spent the campaign payments.
A courageous politician, Doug Biviano, is campaigning for election to the New York State Assembly, and he has produced a YouTube video in which he asked the mainstream media to report on candidates challenging New York State incumbents.
In his video, Mr. Biviano celebrated the spirit of the father of modern journalism, John Peter Zenger, to solve the dysfunction and corruption that is evident in New York State government. Mr. Biviano is challenging Joan Millman in Brooklyn's 52nd Assembly District. His main campaign promise seems to be to ''fight corruption,'' but no mainstream media outlet seems interested in his platform.
Onc3, twic3, thric3 : This tim3, how do w3 know it's for r3al ?
Th3 2010 chart3r r3vision bart3r commission 3mpan3ll3d by thr33-timing Mayor Micha3l Bloomb3rg is r3comm3nding that citiz3ns of N3w York City onc3 again vot3 on a r3f3r3ndum that would r3strict th3 numb3r of tim3s a politician can s3rv3 in offic3 to only two t3rms.
Two t3rms was ''the old limit - twice ratified by city voters - before Bloomberg decided to run for a third term in 2008 and pushed the City Council to extend it,'' Th3 New York Daily N3ws r3port3d.
M3anwhil3, in a r3c3nt blog post on Th3 N3w York Tim3s, som3body comm3nt3d, "How many times do we have to vote for term limits before they become permanent law ?"
As if th3 commission3rs working on th3 chart3r-bart3r could r3ad our minds, this tim3 commission3rs ar3 consid3ring asking vot3rs ''to ban future City Councils from extending the terms of politicians already in office,'' th3 Daily N3ws add3d.
But when you don't belong to the people, the people eventually figure it out.
According to a press report in The New York Daily News, a new Marist Poll published today shows that Mayor Michael Bloomberg's popularity has hit a new, five-year low. Of the 696 New York voters who were scientifically surveyed, only 49% of the them said that they thought that Mayor Bloomberg was ''doing a good or excellent job,'' the Daily News reported.
Lee Miringoff was the director of the poll. He is quoted as having said, "More people think the city's headed in the wrong direction than the right direction, so that is not going to do well if you're chief executive."
In the wake of New York City's ticketing frenzy : ticketing the parked cars of us non-celebrities, running artists out of Union Square for only trying to sell art, ticketing subway riders for changing cars, and for decorating or painting the doors of apartment buildings -- for basically trying to live our lives -- many lines have been crossed. Among other things, Mayor Michael Bloomberg is outright violating artists' First Amendment rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. In this video, Suzannah B. Troy interviewed the artistMiriam West at Union Square to give you an investigative peek into an artist's world under the reign of King Mike.
It is no longer news when a New York politician dismisses gay pride, nor when he is called homophobic by one of New York City's most influential bloggers.
Above is the video I made, which is the Deputy Mayor’s response to questions about why he ended the practice of issuing gay pride proclamations while he was mayor of Indianapolis, and what his thoughts were on the subject of same-sex marriage.
By the time I started my hand-held camera, I missed the questions, and they were not included in this video. But there were 2 credentialed reporters, Michael Scotto and Erik Engquist, who served as the press panel, who asked the deputy mayor questions on the day of this speech, and this speech was also witnessed by the artist and blogger-activist Suzannah B. Troy.
On July 20, 2010, Deputy Mayor Goldsmith was the featured guest at a networking-breakfast meeting, where the new deputy mayor of New York City gave a speech and answered questions about his vision for New York City.
Following the deputy mayor's remarks, Ms. Troy made the conclusion that the way that the Deputy Mayor kept making non-answers, avoided his record, and would not answer what his thoughts were on gay marriage meant that he was anti-gay, and as well as anti-gay marriage.
Look at his record : while he was mayor of Indianapolis, he didn’t want to recognize or acknowledge a gay pride day. In response to press questions, the Deputy Mayor said he could not ''recollect'' his anti-gay record, and he would not answer questions regarding marriage equality.
In 2009, when a very slim majority of New Yorkers voted for the ''Independent'' Michael Bloomberg to take a th3rd t3rm as mayor, did anybody expect that Mayor Bloomberg would recruit an anti-gay deputy for his administration ?
Even if it was not anticipated, its revelation leaves New Yorkers surprised and confused -- like, surely we wouldn't allow an intolerant, hateful conservative Republican to oversee and impress his worldview over the operations of New York City. Make no mistake, this video shows that Deputy Mayor Goldsmith not only avoids diversity, but he negates it, too. And so we find ourselves in this ill-fat3d, karmically-doom3d th3rd t3rm, watching the happening of intolerance and hate, and it leaves one to wonder when did we all agree to play the game of pretending like it couldn't happen here.
Artists in Union Square are organising protest demonstrations against and awareness raising about Mayor Bloomberg's campaign against local artist.
Please join the artists at Union Square Park every Wednesday and Saturday starting at 10am to hold up protest signs, talk to people about what's going on, man the display only stand, and generally to be a pain in the park department's butt.
Display-only and mobile vending highly encouraged! Any questions, please contact:
A tree-hugging protester was arrested in City Hall Park this morning.
In an excerpt of a video from this morning's demonstration, an environmental activist named Jessica Sunflower is shown having climbed a tree in City Hall Park. After police and security show up on the scene, she is shown climbing down from the tree on a ladder. Later, she is seen restrained and being escorted by police off the park grounds. Apparently, she was arrested.
According to information posted on the excerpted demonstration video on YouTube, the protesters were part of a group calling themselves Times Up! The protesters were trying to draw ''attention to the new rules being drafted by the City that allows gardens to be legally transferred to development, risking hundreds of gardens being bulldozed.''
In the description of the YouTube video, Times Up! volunteer Benjamin Shepard is quoted as saying, ''We need to preserve what's left of our green space, and find ways to cultivate more. Not impose rules which would destroy what's left of them!''.
Also in the YouTube description, Times Up! Director Bill DiPaola provided the following statement : "This is an opportunity for Bloomberg and the City Council to demonstrate they appreciate green space as a resource for global cooling and community development."
Mayor Bloomberg and Deputy Mayor Goldsmith want to unwind the improvements in checks and balances that were instituted in response to the political corruption during the Tammany Hall era.
At a July 20, 2010 breakfast meeting, Stephen Goldsmith, the new Deputy Mayor of New York City, was compared to Jane Jacobs for the way he applied ''urban renewal'' to Indianapolis. (Meanwhile, Ms. Jacobs fought ''urban renewal'' when Robert Moses tried to ''apply'' it to Greenwich Village, but accepting the comparison to Mr. Goldsmith would have meant we were talking about historical facts, which doesn't seem to ''apply'' to what Mr. Goldsmith has learned about New York City's history.) Now that he is in New York City, Mr. Goldsmith has joined forces with Mayor Michael Bloomberg to transform New York City.
In the presence of political reporters Erik Engquist and Michael Scotto, the new deputy mayor described his political beliefs, which serve to underpin his worldview and approach to government.
Mr. Goldsmith said that a progressive form of government developed after the political corruptions scandals associated with Tammany Hall, and Mr. Goldsmith credited progressive reforms with professionalising the way that cities work. He said that we don't hire ''buddies'' anymore. Neither do we award government contracts in ways that would be questioned, he said. (Again, whether the hiring of, and awarding contracts to, ''buddies'' no longer happens is a matter of historical fact, and we'll let you decide the truth.)
But now, Mr. Goldsmith said, all the rules that made government free of corruption have worked to make government more complex. He cited as an example that all these rules have created a lack of authority in the city, and the city needs to get rid of the requirement of having to need permission from another level of bureaucrats before anything could be done if city officials hope to bring efficiency to the way the city government could be run. He seemed to say that he believed that the rule-based system needed to be changed, so that city employees could be ''liberated,'' and that this would result in civil workers being able to be creative while also being held accountable.
The way that he sees things, Mr. Goldsmith said, public service used to attract people, who were interested in helping the public. Instead, he said, public service is now only about enforcing the rules.
To Mr. Goldsmith, rules may be problematic to the kinds of changes he envisions bringing to New York City government, but rules have a reason for being : they are needed, because people are apt to have lapses in integrity. Anytime that politicians have an opportunity to privitise government services, there is a temptation to award government contracts to their well-connected friends or political allies.
The model of how he privatised government services while he was mayor of Indianapolis would be difficult to do here, in New York City, because he believes that the progressive rules in New York City give no discretion to the city's workers.
According to Wikipedia, ''Keeping corruption out of politics was a main goal of the progressive era, with many Progressives trying to expose and undercut political machines and bosses.''
To be fair to Mr. Goldsmith, his opinions about reforming the rules that govern city employees extend to ''unlocking'' the potential of the existing city workforce. He said he believes that progressive era rules were set because one could not trust the discretion (or judgment) of government employees. But once you begin to give higher level government employees discretion, one very quickly creates a situation, where political leaders begin to misuse that discretion. Political bosses are often associated with dishonesty, self-dealing, conflicts of interest, profiteering from government, and other forms of corruption.
Take, for example, the way that Mayor Bloomberg came to win a th3rd t3rm as mayor.
Before the end of his second, and what should have been his final, term in office, Mayor Bloomberg advocated for an extension of term limits, which would have resulted in the possibility that he could have run for a th3rd t3rm as mayor. With help from the City Council and a secret deal with Ronald Lauder, Mayor Bloomberg won the change in term limits through a vote by the City Council instead of through a voter referendum. (The New York Times even reported at the time that the mayor was ''pressing many of the community, arts and neighborhood groups that rely on his private donations to make the case for his third term,'' and the newspaper of record has just reported that at least one of those charity organisations, the Doe Fund, received millions of private monies for, what amounts to, its support for changing the term limits law.) What the mayor did was rely on the discretion of the City Council to change the law governing term limits, and, in a clear case of a conflict of interest, he urged the charities, which have depended on his private donations and government contracts, to support the controversial change in term limits law. Last year, Mayor Bloomberg was elected to a th3rd t3rm ; it was reported that he had spent approximately $109 million only to win by an unexpectedly slim margin of less than 5 per cent. Meanwhile, nobody knows whether electioneering payments amounting to $1.2 million that were made from the mayor's personal accounts to the Independence Party were intentionally not made from the mayor's campaign account in order to circumvent campaign disclosure requirements.
To get the new kind of ''better, faster, cheaper'' governance structure that the mayor wants, for example, the CityPragmatist blog has reported that there is a current movement by the 2010 Charter Revision Commission to, among other things, increase the mayor's discretion over city agency reports. If we had a City Council that could collectively do an honest thing, then the increase of the mayor's discretion would come at the cost of City Council's ability to review and ''extend or enhance'' any city agency report. But the reality is that right now, we have a City Council that has compromised its own integrity, because it is currently involved in a scandal over the disposition of discretionary slush funds.
Research and history published on Wikipedia indicate that some of the reforms of the progressive era brought more transparency to government. ''Progressives moved to enable the citizenry to rule more directly and circumvent political bosses ; California, Wisconsin, and Oregon took the lead. California governor Hiram Johnson established the initiative, referendum, and recall, viewing them as good influences for citizen participation ....''
What were the motives of City Council members,
who supported Mayor Bloomberg's extension of
term limits ?
Artist and social media commentator Suzannah B. Troy was also present to witness Mr. Goldsmith's speech at his July 20, 2010 breakfast meeting. She has described the vote by City Council to allow an extension of term limits a conflict of interest, because the same extension of terms limits was self-serving : it allowed many council members to run for, and win, a th3rd t3rm, including Council Speaker Christine Quinn. Ms. Troy has criticised the mayor for denying voters a referendum on the change in term limits.
Two months after the questionable City Council vote to extend term limits, a judge affirmed the mayor's tactic, The New York Timesreported. (It was in the 1990's when terms limits had originally come into being in New York City after having twice been approved by, ironically, voter referenda.) We are now so far removed from progressive sensibilities that not even judges appreciate or respect voter referenda that are concerned with checking the power on politicians (in other words, to prevent the rise of political bosses). Going back to the history about past political corruption in New York City, the term ''Tammany Hall'' is "used to refer to a corrupt system of buying or controlling votes." Wrestling away from voters the control over term limits is precisely what the mayor, City Council, and now the judicial system have done. Surely, all these signs indicate that we are returning to a modern-day ''Tammany Hall'' era.
"Abraham Lincoln spoke at Gettysburg of his ideal of a government of the people, by the people and for the people. He didn’t mean government of the fat cats and by the fat cats. With all due respect to the feline family -- and I happen to love cats -- Lincoln was an apostle of democracy in a purer sense. ¶ The machinations of millionaires and billionaires are foreign to what he believed. The lack of strict laws governing campaign expenditures continues to be a disgrace to our country."
Meanwhile, in a recent blog post on The New York Times, somebody commented, "How many times do we have to vote for term limits before they become permanent law ?" While we may still think that history shows us that we can count on established legal precedents and codified progressive reforms for how our votes get counted and how our government works, Mayor Bloomberg and Deputy Mayor Goldsmith believe otherwise. And it is their twisted and warped sets of beliefs, which are not based on facts, that seem to carry the day.
"Mr. Bloomberg knows that his reputation has taken hard blows in the fight over term limits. But he is apparently betting that the passage of time will restore whatever he may have lost in respectability." -- Clyde Haberman, The New York Times, October 27, 2008.
"Mr. Bloomberg's popularity is high, but his handling of protesters to the 2004 Republican National Convention, when thousands of demonstrators were swept off the streets and detained, is a black mark on his record for many New Yorkers and civil libertarians." -- The New York Times
"For more than a year before the convention, the Police Department monitored Web sites and sent undercover detectives around the nation to collect information on Bush opponents planning to demonstrate in New York. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has said the operation helped keep order. " The New York Times, April 3, 2007
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